Martin Chuzzlewit · Chapter
Chapter V explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Pecksniff welcomes his new pupil, young Martin Chuzzlewit, into his home, showing him around the house and praising his own virtues. Tom Pinch, full of admiration for Pecksniff, drives to Salisbury to meet the new pupil. At the inn, Tom meets a young man who turns out to be Martin himself, and they immediately take a liking to each other.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Self-Deception
Pecksniff's grand speeches about friendship and art contrast with his self-serving nature, as he shows off his rooms and pretends to be a devoted mentor.
Social Class and Pretension
Pecksniff's display of his home and works reflects his pretensions to gentility and artistic importance, despite his modest circumstances.
Characters to notice
- Seth Pecksniff
Shows young Martin around his home, displaying his rooms and works with self-congratulatory modesty.
- Tom Pinch
Drives to Salisbury to meet the new pupil, full of joy and admiration for Pecksniff; meets Martin at the inn and they become fast friends.
- Martin Chuzzlewit
Arrives as Pecksniff's new pupil; meets Tom Pinch at the inn and they immediately get along well.
Key passages
“And Thomas Pinch and I, said Mr. Pecksniff, in a deeper voice, will walk it yet, in mutual faithfulness and friendship! And if it comes to pass that either of us be run over in any of those busy crossings which divide the streets of life, the other will convey him to the hospital in Hope, and sit beside his bed in Bounty!”
Pecksniff dramatically promises lifelong loyalty to Tom Pinch, vowing to care for him if misfortune strikes.
Pecksniff's grandiose language masks his manipulative nature, as he uses sentiment to bind Tom to him.
“Blessings on thy simple heart, Tom Pinch, how proudly dost thou button up that scanty coat, called by a sad misnomer, for these many years, a 'great' one; and how thoroughly, as with thy cheerful voice thou pleasantly adjurest Sam the hostler 'not to let him go yet,' dost thou believe that quadruped desires to go, and would go if he might!”
Tom Pinch, in his innocent enthusiasm, buttons his thin coat and cheerfully tells the hostler to hold the horse, believing the horse is eager to start.
The narrator affectionately mocks Tom's naivety, highlighting his simple, trusting nature.
“I am very glad indeed that you turn out to be the party I expected. I was thinking, but a minute ago, that I could wish him to be like you.”
Tom tells Martin he is delighted that the new pupil is exactly the kind of person he had hoped for.
This mutual admiration marks the beginning of a warm friendship between Tom and Martin.